Memorial Day 2013

"I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses."

 Memorial Day comes again.

Reminding me that

Another friend died this year.
Another funeral.
Grief for his family,
He will be missed.
Grief stirred memories rise
As "In the Garden" wakes

Forgotten sorrow.

A time of loss.
Old friends and family gone
As the World War II generation fades.

Those born in the rural past
Die in the urban present.

Too many precious friends

 Left long ago

In my generation's war,

In Viet Nam.

Their graves stand as sentinels

To this nation's hubris.

Now a new generation,

Young, full of hope,

Face their wars:

Afghanistan.

Iraq.

So many have died,

So many continue to die.

Bow your head

 To the sorrow

Of so much death

And listen to Christ's words,

"Blessed are they that mourn;
For they shall be comforted."

Photo by *clarity*

The Gladness of the Moment Palm Sunday 2011

Photo by Etwood

"This is the day the Lord hath made.

Let us be glad and rejoice in it."

I quote these words as I rise each morning.

But can I follow this biblical command?

Sometimes I find it difficult to be glad,

Sometimes I find it impossible to rejoice.

Was it difficult for Jesus

When He stood on the hill over Jerusalem

And contemplated the tragedies to come?

He longed to gather those who dwelt in Jerusalem

Into his arms.

Did God weep that day for Jerusalem

Or for all humanity?

Where was gladness?

Saved for the day Jesus entered that great city,

And palm fronds fell at His feet,

And Hosannas echoed

From dried brick walls.

Just as the Psalm commanded:

"With boughs in hand, join the festal procession."

Jesus shared joy that day

As he would share suffering later

When  he hung on the cross.

On Palm Sunday,

I will feel the gladness of the moment.

Even if I know as He did

The sorrow of tomorrow.

Peace I Leave With You

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Jesus speaks these words
On his last night with his disciples
After the passover supper.
He knows what is to come.
Judas has left to betray him.
Christ seeks to reassure his followers,
But he also speaks to us.
In times of turmoil,
In times of war,
In times when death hovers,
In times of sorrow,
Jesus offers peace,
Peace of the spirit.
A serenity that can buffer us
From the horrors of this world.
We cannot escape life's events,
But the peace of God is ours
If we believe.

Photo by audreyjm529